The HEU Provincial Executive has decided that the 2021 convention scheduled for November 1—5 will be held virtually, using an online platform, so that delegates can participate remotely instead of travelling to Vancouver.
While there are positive signs that many COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings will be eased over the next few weeks and months, there is also uncertainty about whether a week-long convention of 800 or more health care workers will be permitted and/or advisable in early November, and under what conditions.
And we need that certainty.
Our convention is central to HEU’s democratic trade union principles and traditions.
We’ve already delayed our convention by one year as a result of the global pandemic. We must ensure that our locals have an opportunity to debate resolutions and constitutional amendments, and elect a new Provincial Executive, without further delay.
In addition, delegates will hear the report and recommendations coming out of Phase I of the union’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Project. This work was mandated by delegates at the union’s 2018 convention and will include recommendations on changes to the structure of your Provincial Executive.
Any constitutional amendments arising from this report and adopted at this November’s convention will come into effect at the following convention, tentatively scheduled for October 2022.
A convention delay would undermine our efforts to build more equity into our democratic structures.
Your Provincial Executive struggled with this decision. We all want to be together, in person, to celebrate our union, discuss and debate our future direction, and elect our leadership.
But in a year where we are also preparing for collective bargaining in our major public sector collective agreements, we don’t have the capacity to plan for both an in-person convention, and a virtual convention as back up.
In order to organize the best convention experience possible for HEU convention delegates, we must focus our energy from this moment forward on planning one convention, not two.
The good news is that we are in an excellent position to host a successful virtual convention.
Other major public sector unions like CUPE BC and BCGEU also delayed their conventions by one year, and held very successful virtual conventions in the past few weeks. We will benefit from their experience and from improvements to virtual meeting platforms made over the past year.
While our convention will be virtual, we also have a number of smaller events ranging from education and training courses to bargaining conferences that will take place in the fall. It is our intention to hold these events in-person starting in October, and we are confident that we can find the venues that will allow us to do this safely.
As B.C.’s largest health care union, we have a special responsibility to take extra steps to keep our members safe.
And an in-person convention of the size and complexity of ours comes with risks. While vaccination rates are high and COVID-19 infections are trending down, there is some concern about the impact the more infectious “Delta” variant will have in the weeks and months ahead.
We are also concerned about whether we will be able to provide sufficient physical distancing for a very large convention that already is at full capacity for our venue. And of course, we don’t yet know if this gathering would be permitted and/or advisable four and half months from now.
In planning for a virtual convention, we are aware that not every delegate will have access to the technology or the internet bandwidth to support their participation. Overcoming those barriers is a key part of our planning.
We also know that virtual meetings in particular can cause “zoom fatigue.” To make this five-day experience productive we will focus the agenda on our essential business and provide more opportunities for delegates to stretch, rest their eyes and take care of themselves.
The Provincial Executive’s decision to hold a virtual convention will be met with disappointment by some, and relief by others. But in the end we hope that you understand that it’s a decision that was made with careful consideration for the welfare of our members and in the best interests of our democratic traditions.
As we indicated in the convention call package sent to your local in May, you must return delegate credentials and any proposed constitutional amendments and resolutions by August 3, 2021 to the Provincial Office.
If you have any questions about these deadlines, send an email to convention@heu.org.